Ladies' Choice: The Best Actress Nominees

Newcomers (Ellen Page!) will go head-to-head with A-listers (Cate Blanchett!) for a fashionable fight to the finish. By Suzy Byrne

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LAURA LINNEY

The Savages
Oscar History: Three nominations, no wins – yet.
2008 Scorecard: This is her first major nomination this year.
Before She Hit Oscar: The New Yorker was once a teacher for deaf and autistic children.
Checkmate: "When I got the script, I felt like a chess player looking at the board," Linney, 43, told Entertainment Weekly. "My mind started to go, lifting the [scenes] up off the page. I made charts and graphs to make sure I didn't miss anything."